


Snapshot

by teamchasez



Category: Chris Kirkpatrick - Fandom, NSYNC, Pop Music RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-24 09:54:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16172720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamchasez/pseuds/teamchasez
Summary: A day in the like of the Kirkpatricks.





	1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

"This better be fucking good, Rachel!" Melissa Kirkpatrick yelled as she opened the door to her best friend's house. "You know damn well how I hate driving in this God forsaken city. I literally took my life in my own hands. Do you know how many morons are in the world? Well I don't, but they all have to be here in Los Angeles. It's like there is a convention in town!" She turned around and shrieked seeing a large group of women, with Rachel in the center holding a video camera, staring at her.

"Surprise!" They all shouted.

"Welcome to your baby shower, Mel," Rachel smirked as she zoomed in on Melissa's face. "Baby Kirkpatrick is gonna learn some new vocabulary mighty early in his life. And here I thought I had the mouth of a sailor."

"You do have the mouth of a sailor," Heather Chasez, Rachel's sister-in-law, interjected.

Rachel shrugged not disputing. It was no secret that she liked to cuss but she could keep it in check when she had to. "Say something nice to the camera Melly."

"You bitch..." was the only thing Melissa could uttered before bursting into tears.

"Ah!" Emily, Chris's younger sister, rushed to her sister-in-law. "Don't cry, Mel," she drew Melissa into a hug.

"Hormones," Melissa mumbled into Emily's shoulder.

"I know," Emily rubbed Melissa's back smiling knowingly.

"Now I look like a hot mess," Melissa declared once she straightened. She rubbed the tears off her cheeks, thankful she didn't put on any make up. "I didn't even put on my face! Why didn't you warn me!"

"How was I to know you didn't have your face on!" Rachel said, still recording. "And what was I supposed to say? Before you leave make sure you don't look all tired and haggard?"

"I look tired and haggard?" Melissa frowned, her eyes welling with tears.

"Oh stop," Kate gave Rachel a glare. "You look beautiful," she smiled at her sister-in-law.

"I read somewhere that if the mother loses her beauty while pregnant that means she's going to have a gorgeous baby," Taylor, the youngest of Chris's sisters claimed.

"I lost my beauty?"

"Not helping!" Kate hissed.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Come off it Mel. You know you are simply gorgeous! Why do you think you're knocked up?"

"Chris and I shared a spoon."

"That's not all you shared," Emily muttered under her breath.

"Emily!" Rachel hissed. "There are kids in the room!" She looked pointed at Taylor.

"Hey! I'm not a kid," Taylor yelled. "I'm nineteen years old!"

"Child please," Molly, the oldest of sisters, spoke. "I've already forgotten more than you've learned."

"As you can see," Rachel flipped the camera around on her self. She also turned the view finder around to make sure she was actually on the screen. "Your Daddy's sisters love each other very very much. I think they are nuts," she whispered to the camera. "You can come stay with your Aunt Rachel anytime."

"How about we move this party away from the door?" Beverly, Chris's mother stepped forward. She clasped her daughter-in-law's hands before drawing her into a hug. "How's my Grandbaby?"

"Sleeping," Melissa smiled rubbing her protruding stomach with one hand. "He or she has been pretty quiet all day."

"Rachel threatened drastic measures if he spilled the beans about the party," Emily teased.

"If the baby is anything like its mother, won't be able to keep a secret to save his or her life," Rachel laughed as she closed the camera and walked toward her friend. "You're not mad at me for making you drive the big bad streets of Los Angeles are you?"

"No," Melissa over exaggerated a sigh. "I suppose I can forgive you. Only if there's cake though."

"Of course there is cake!" Rachel announced as the surrounding six women ushered Melissa into Rachel's living room which had been transformed into baby shower extravaganza. 

Melissa took in the transformation. There was an assortment of colors plastered all over. Yellow and Green streamers hanging wall-to-wall across the ceiling. Pink, blue, yellow and green balloons floating lonely on the ceiling. While others were gathered in bunches and weighted down by baby objects around the room. Gifts were piled high in the corner. Their wrapped paper pretty and baby themed. Gift bags were stuffed full of colorful tissue paper. In front of the presents was a wooden rocking chair complete with a stool. Melissa's feet whimpered at the sight. She was ready to sink into the cushioned pillow. A crocheted blanket was folded neatly on the back of the chair; colorful in its own with its lines of blue, pink, white, yellow, green and purple. 

"Decorating would have been a heckuva lot easier if you had found out the sex instead of wanting to be surprised."

"It wouldn't look as if we went to the party store and bought every baby decoration available."

"Which is what they did," Taylor jumped away from her mother's swat.

"I don't know what to say," Melissa looked back at her friends and family; her eyes shining with tears. "I can't believe you did this. How did you do this?"

"It wasn't easy," Rachel explained. "Sit and put your feet up."

Melissa complied immediately, sinking into the rocker. She slipped out of her flats and put her feet up on the stole. She sighed contently.

"Don't fall asleep," Kate warned. "Or I'll have to resort to drawing vulgar pictures on your face."

"I had a hard time trying to coordinate getting everyone here. Which is not easy since everyone lives out of state. Then it was trying to book hotel rooms, get the decorations, the food, the cake. Not to mention shooing the husbands away and finding someone to watch the children."

"Watch the children? Shouldn't your husbands' be doing that?"

"One would think," Molly said. "It took a lot of threatening to make it happen."

"Until we all just," Emily held her hands over Taylor's ears. "threatened to withhold sex." 

"Like I didn't hear," Taylor rolled her eyes. "I do know how you got those babies."

"The stork," Kate smiled.

"The stork must have been pretty busy with you three," Taylor muttered. Between her three older sisters, she had nine nieces and nephews. The baby in Melissa's belly would make an even ten. "You know how many jobs I have to hold just to buy birthday and Christmas presents each year?"

"Find yourself a sugar Daddy."

"Rachel!"

"Well," Rachel grinned. "It's a solution."

"A terrible one!" Molly scolded. "I will gladly waive your presents until you've graduated college and finally become a doctor."

"A doctor... too much schooling. Easier just to marry one," Rachel winked at Taylor.

"Know any cute ones?" Taylor grinned, moving to sit next to Melissa's best friend.

"Oh yeah," Rachel smiled. "Noah's pediatrician is hot." She said speaking of her two year old son.

"Yeah? How hot?"

"So hot she faked Noah's illness just so she could see him," Melissa giggled.

"I did not!" Rachel gasped.

"But JC is hot," Taylor said. "How does the pediatrician compare?"

"She'd dump JC in a hot minute."

Rachel threw a couch pillow at her friend. "Shut your mouth. I would not."

"Hey!" Melissa knocked the pillow away. "I'm a pregnant woman you know! You can't just go chucking pillows at me."

"I was aiming for your face," she stuck her tongue out at Melissa.

"Well your aim was off."

"Chris's wasn't."

"Okay okay," Beverly spoke up ending the conversation. "I don't want to hear any talk about my son's aim, cute pediatricians, or sugar daddies."

"And can we please not talk about how hot my brother is?" Heather made a face. "Gross."

"No no," Taylor grinned. "I'd like to talk about how hot JC is."

"He's old enough to be your father," Kate admonished.

"Doesn't mean he still isn't hot."

"He's very hot and I get to sleep with him every night." Rachel grinned.

"Okay, now I'm gonna have to move this conversation along," Karen Chasez spoke up. The smile on her face and her twinkling eyes let the group know she was teasing.

"So what are all our husbands doing?" Melissa questioned.

"They are hanging out at Casa De Fatone with all the kids," Molly said.

"Oh my..." Melissa's eyes bulged as she thought about the number of kids that had to be. "I'm so sorry about your house Kelly," she gave a sympathetic smile to Kelly Fatone, Joey's wife.

"It's alright," Kelly shrugged, smiling. "We have home owner's insurance."

"As long as they don't come home bleeding or with broken bones it's good."

"That goes for the kids too," Emily grinned.

"They had no idea what they were getting themselves into do they?"

"Nope," Rachel grinned as she exchanged smiles with the other women. "They were motivated purely by sex and the fact that if they didn't vamoose with all of the offspring they created, they weren't going to get any."

"Men are dogs."

"And that," Molly said, turning to her younger sister Taylor, "is what you should always remember."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

“Are you kidding me right now?” Joey turned the corner to go into the kitchen and stopped short seeing the mess in front of him. His daughter, Kloey, grinned up at him. Beside her, two year old Noah Chasez laughed and stomped his feet, crunching the cheerios. “What are you doing?”

“P-yeah,” Noah told him, laughing. He jumped and landed on his butt, then ran his hands back and forth at his side, scattering the cereal further.

“Play, yeah,” Joey muttered. “You’re a bad influence.” 

“Da da da da,” Kloey chanted. 

“JC!” Joey yelled over his shoulder. 

“What?” JC asked coming into the kitchen stopping short as he stared at the mess. “Noah,” he groaned. “What did you do?”

“Chee-os!” Noah grinned up at his father.

“You gotta watch out for older men, Bambina,” Joey told his daughter as he reached down, plucking her from the middle of the mess. “They will dazzle you with pretty words and the next thing you know, you’re in trouble.”

“Right,” JC rolled his eyes. “She batted those long eyelashes at you didn’t she?” He crouched down and pulled Noah into a standing position. “I hope that’s Cheerios in your hair, Kid.” He made a face and reached out pulling what looked to be a chewed up Cheerio from his son’s brunette hair. The hair straightened as he pulled, then bounced back into a curl. “You gotta learn to resist the siren call.”

“Siren call,” Joey snorted. “Right. Briahna!” He yelled for his oldest daughter. “You know damn well he turned those blue eyes on her.”

“Yeah Dad? Oh,” Briahna whistled. She grinned. “If we had a dog, this would be an easy clean up.”

“We are not getting a dog,” Joey told his oldest as he handed Kloey to her. “Take her so C can clean this up.”

“What?” JC stared at his friend. “Why do I have to clean this up? Your kid was here too!”

“You know it was all Noah’s fault. Kloey couldn’t even reach the Cheerios.”

“You paying attention Noah,” JC asked his son.

“Yeah Daddy?” 

“Women are trouble. You got that?”

“Yeah.” Noah grinned and took off running from the room.

“I almost wish he was old enough to repeat that to Rachel,” Joey grinned as he came back in with the broom and dustpan he grabbed from the laundry room.

“Why would you wish that on me?” JC took the broom and started sweeping up the Cheerios. 

“Because it’s funny watching you try to worm your way out of the doghouse.” 

“I think for Christmas I’m getting Briahna a puppy,” JC said as he swept the pile of Cheerios into the waiting dustpan in Joey’s hand. “Maybe one of those little ankle bitters so you’ll have to carry it around all the time. Maybe a lab… I hear the puppy years are great.”

“Do that and you’ll be in Kelly’s doghouse.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have to live with her.”

Joey conceded the point to JC. Kelly would be beyond pissed at JC for giving them a dog, but he would be able to leave. He, on the other hand, would be stuck under the same roof as his wife who would take out the anger she felt at JC on him. It would eventually end up being entirely his fault.

“What are you ladies talking about?” Chris asked, coming into the kitchen.

“Kelly’s wrath.”

“Oh yeah,” Chris nodded knowingly. He’d been on the receiving end of that plenty of times. “Better watch yourself Fatone, I bet she has a sensor in her brain that goes off when you shit talk her.”

“Like you’re any better.”

“I have come to the conclusion that until Mel pushes this baby out, I am permanently in the doghouse. The couch isn’t all that uncomfortable anymore.”

Joey and JC chuckled knowing exactly what Chris was talking about. “It doesn’t get any better after the baby comes either.”

“The fuck you say?” Chris stared at Joey. 

“Joey’s right. It takes at least a year after until the hormones to go back to normal.” 

“Yeah a new normal,” Joey muttered. “Face it dude, Melissa will never be the same again.”

“Fuck man,” Chris groaned. “She sent me for milk the other day. She messaged me three times before I even got to the store. I ended up buying every single kind of milk they had.”

“That’s nothing man,” Joey said. “When Kelly was 16 weeks pregnant with Briahna, she cried for three hours because we didn’t have the nursery ready.”

“You think that’s bad? A couple weeks before Noah born, Rachel was miserable. So I decided to cook dinner. It wasn’t anything I haven’t done before,” JC said. “She walked into the kitchen and saw what I was doing and completely lost her mind. She yelled at me about how I thought she was incompetent and too stupid to make dinner. She threw an onion at me and went upstairs and cried.”

“What’s so funny?” Steve, Joey’s brother, asked, walking into the kitchen with two of Chris’s brothers-in-law, Mike and Brandon. They were married to Molly and Kate. 

“Commiserating over pregnancy hormones and how they turn our wives into someone from another planet.” 

“Kelly know you think she’s a species from another planet?” Steve asked his brother.

“Fuck no. I like my balls right where they are.”

“You think pregnancy is bad, just wait until the baby is here,” Mike said. “Molly barely let me hold Megan the first week of her life. I’m serious,” he told the guys when they started laughing. “When Molly would fall asleep, I’d sneak into the nursery and hold Megan. It’s probably why Megan had a fucked up sleep cycle when she was a baby.” Megan was now 16 years old and could sleep the entire day away if you let her. 

“Kate constantly bitched that I wasn’t holding Kevin correctly,” Brandon spoke up. “I wasn’t supporting his head. I was patting his back correctly when I burped him. I wasn’t holding the bottle at the right angle.”

“My God,” Chris said, looking at the men gathered in the kitchen. “My life is over.”

“Face it brother,” Joey clapped him on the back. “It was over the moment you slipped that ring on her finger.”

“Just wait when the baby becomes a toddler.” Brandon laughed. “That’s where the real fun begins.”

“Oh yeah,” Mike said laughing. “I never knew shit could cover so many surfaces until Sofia learned to take off her diaper after waking up from a nap. She was already in a toddler bed. Her room smelled like bleach for weeks.”

“Kevin drew all over Allison with a permanent marker,” Brandon added his tale. “I never thought we’d get her clean. Kate was having a cow, losing her mind. I couldn’t stop laughing. I spent the next week on the couch.”

“Enzo covered Lily in an entire jar of peanut butter,” Steve chuckled at the memory. “It took a three days for the dog to stop licking her.”

“Noah likes to dump cereal all over the floor then do the Mexican Hat Dance in it,” Joey supplied grinning when JC gave him the finger.

“Just wait until the hormones kick in when they are teenagers. Allison, God I love her and would die for her, but oh boy, she puts her momma to shame.”

“Just wait until the cycles sync up,” Mike shuddered. He was in a house full of girls. With Megan, he had two other daughters, Kristen, and Sofia. “Danger Will Robinson! I find myself scheduling anything I can to make sure my butt spends as little time at home as possible that week.”

“Dad! Kevin and Enzo are fighting!” Sofia yelled. 

“Dad! Lily won’t leave me alone!” Megan yelled.

“Dad! Kloey needs her diaper changed!” Briahna yelled.

“Noah! No!”

A crash sounded and the men groaned, glancing up at the clock on the wall hoping the day was almost over.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

“You are the greatest,” Melissa said wrapping an arm around Rachel, pulling her into a hug.

“I know,” Rachel grinned, returning Melissa’s hug.

“Today has been the best. Thank you. I still can’t believe how you got everyone here and I never found out.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Rachel said honestly. “Karen and Heather are staying with us, but everyone else needed hotels. They couldn’t stay with you or else you’d know something was up if Chris’s mom and sisters suddenly showed up. I went to the airport so many times to pick people up, security was beginning to be suspicious.”

Melissa laughed. “You could have put a taxi sign on the top of your car.”

“I should have put a meter in it.” Rachel laughed. “Noah had a lot of fun seeing the planes. I’m afraid he’s gonna think it’s a daily thing going to the airport.”

“You’ll have to take him to that one spot where you can see all the planes coming in and taking it off. I forget the location. Chris knows where it is.” Melissa looked around at the food still on the counters. “You sure you don’t need help with this?”

“I told you, you’re not cleaning up your own party,” Rachel admonished. “Don’t worry about this. I got it. Besides, you heard Bev. Chris has reservations to take you guys all out. You’re gonna go back home, take a nap so you’re ready.”

“You’re okay with being on call if Megan needs you?”

“Of course! Just make sure she calls before the house falls in on itself.” 

Melissa laughed and pulled a chair away from the table to take a seat. She rubbed her belly. “I’ll be sure to let her know. Will you sit down?”

“I can’t,” Rachel said as she poured drinks into the sink. She shooed Melissa’s mother-in-law and sisters-in-law out the door. They were guests in her home, they didn’t need to clean up. The same couldn’t be said for her own mother-in-law and sister-in-law. They armed themselves with garbage bags and were cleaning up the living room and the outside patio. She had long since stopped telling them they didn’t have to clean up her house. Just like they had stopped telling her that when she visited them. “If I sit down, I’ll fall asleep.”

“You’ve been awfully tired lately,” Melissa questioned, staring at her friend as she continued to rub her belly. “Is there something wrong?”

“This was a lot of work planning this party Mel. A lot of stress was involved. Picking a time when the most people could come.”

“I’ll have to call your mom and thank her for the gift,” Melissa interrupted as the thought entered her mind. “I’ve always been jealous of the blankets she’s crocheted for Briahna, Kloey, and Noah.”

“My mom never goes anywhere without her needles. She was sorry she couldn’t get away to come but Daddy just had hip surgery.”

“I understand.”

“She said she’ll definitely be here to get her hands on the baby as soon as you have it,” she smiled. “Once she gets ahold of him or her, take advantage.”

“If her daughter would appease her and give her more grandchildren to spoil she wouldn’t have to adopt other people’s,” Melissa teased. She and Rachel had been best friends since high school. Dorothy, Rachel’s mother, was like a second mother to her. Dorothy considered her a second daughter. Melissa was even included on the family newsletter she sent out every Christmas. 

“I tell Rachel the same thing every time I see her,” Karen said walking into the kitchen with a half-filled trash bag. Heather followed behind, a smile on her face.

“You know she’s gonna wear you down,” Heather laughed. “She’s not gonna be happy until you pop out your own baseball team.”

“I’ll pop out a baseball team as soon as you do, Sister,” Rachel laughed, tossing the plastic solo cups in the trash.

“Well… maybe not baseball teams for both of you,” Karen smiled at the women. “Maybe between you two and Sarah I wouldn’t mind a baseball team.” Sarah was married to her son, Tyler. They had two children together. Heather also had two.

“Well you have a five man basketball team right now,” Heather said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Melissa stated. She lifted her feet out in front of her and made a face at her ankles. “My ankles are almost as big as my thighs.”

“What ankles?” Rachel grinned.

“You’re lucky I’m too tired to move or I’d hit you.” 

“We loaded up all the gifts in your vehicle already,” Karen told the woman. “Have Chris unload them all.”

“He’s probably gonna have to unload me first.” Melissa shifted in her seat, rubbing her belly again.

“Good idea. Have him pour you directly into bed.”

“Then have him rub your feet.”

“JC used to give the best foot massages,” Rachel nearly groaned remembering. Her ankles had been swollen just as bad as Melissa’s were now when she was pregnant with Noah. 

“Maybe I’ll have him rub them if he walks in before I leave.”

“He would too, just to keep you from bursting in to tears.”

“You calling me hormonal?” Melissa narrowed her eyes at her friend.

“You cried in your cake Mel.”

“It was so good!” Melissa said causing everyone to laugh. She grimaced feeling a cramp across her stomach. 

“There’s still some leftover,” Rachel said turning away to pull out a container from the cupboard. “I’ll send some home with you. Lord knows if it stays here I’ll end up eating it and my hips don’t need that. I’m still trying to force them back into their previous position before Noah.”

“Good luck with that,” Heather stated. “I figure you can drop the pounds, but there is no way you can push your hips back together again.”

“You ladies are beautiful, stop.” Karen shook her head. She saw a flash cross Melissa’s face again and frowned. “Melissa? Are you okay?”

Melissa forced a smile at JC’s mother. “I’m okay, but I think maybe Rachel should drive me home? Take my car and JC can swing by and pick you up? Or you could call Chris and see if he’s left Joey’s yet. It’d be easier that way since Joey’s house is closer.”

“What’s wrong?” Rachel immediately abandoned the cake on the counter and went to her friend.

“I’m just tired,” Melissa reached an arm behind her back and massaged her lower back. “How about I stay here and JC can use those magic hands on my back.”

“Your back.” Rachel repeated slowly. She looked at her mother-in-law then back on Melissa. “Mel, sweetie, how long has your back been hurting?”

“Awhile,” Melissa shrugged. “It usually does when I do too much.”

“Do you think you could be having contractions?” Heather asked, moving with Karen and Rachel to gather around Melissa.

“Contractions? No.” Melissa’s laugh was cut off when she rubbed her back again. “I’m not due for another three weeks.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“I’m fine guys,” Melissa said, brushing off their concerns. “When I get home, I’m gonna curl up in bed and take a nap. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright,” Rachel relented. “I’ll take you home and have JC come and pick me up.”

Melissa held out a hand, “Help me up.” She grasped Rachel’s hand and used the leverage to stand up from the chair. When she stood, a pain ripped through her stomach causing her to cry out.

“What’s wrong!” Rachel immediately wrapped an arm around her friend’s back as she doubled over in pain. Her hand was still encased in Melissa’s who was doing her best to crush her fingers. 

“I think…I think I just had a contraction.” Melissa looked at her friend, her eyes wide with fear. “I can’t be in labor.”

Rachel smiled. “It’s Chris’s baby. We should have known the baby wouldn’t do things the way it’s supposed to.”

“We’ll help you to the car,” Heather said, taking Melissa’s other hand. “Rachel can take you to the hospital. I’ll call Chris and tell him to meet you there.”

“I don’t even have my hospital bag.” Melissa hissed as another contraction hit.

“Another one?” Rachel questioned. She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “How long did you say your back hurt?”

“I don’t know,” Melissa shrugged. “All day.” 

Rachel cursed and started moving faster. “You’ve been in labor all day and didn’t say anything?”

“I didn’t know I was in labor!” Melissa’s voice grew louder and tears welled in her eyes. “I’m still three weeks away from my due date.”

“Alright, calm down,” Karen said soothingly. “It’s alright. You’re gonna be fine. You don’t need your hospital bag right now, okay? We’ll get it to you. You just concentrate on your breathing.”

“God, we went to one Lamaze class,” Melissa groaned. “We laughed the whole time.” 

“Just stay calm,” Heather said. “Between us, we’ve had five babies. You’re in good hands.”

“Stay calm, I can do that,” Melissa breathed. She breathed as another contraction hit. “I said I wanted a natural birth, but I’m thinking now I was an idiot.”

“You’ll be fine,” Karen had her cell phone in her hand, but didn’t see Chris’s name in her contacts. She frowned. Hitting her son’s number, she waited. 

“Think we can stop at Sonic on the way to the hospital?”

“Do you wanna have this baby at Sonic?” Rachel asked dryly.

“Probably get free Sonic for life.” Heather laughed seeing Melissa’s eyes light up.

“JC, where are you?” Karen asked hearing her son answer the phone.

“Pulling into the driveway in about ten seconds why?” JC answered as he drove around the curve in the road, his house coming in to view. Melissa’s vehicle was the only one still in front of his house.

Melissa groaned feeling another contraction rip through her stomach. “They really don’t prepare you for the pain.” She froze when she felt a wetness between her legs. She looked down and groaned. “Oh no…”

Her water broke.

“Stay in the car,” Karen quickly told JC, opening the front door allowing her daughter and Rachel to help Melissa through. “We’re coming out to you.”

“What’s going on?” JC asked pulling into the driveway and seeing the women coming toward him.

“Melissa’s in labor.” Karen told her son and quickly hung up the phone and shoved it in her pocket. She stepped around the group and ran up to JC’s vehicle. She opened the back door. 

“Mom mom!” Noah grinned. 

“Hey baby,” Karen smiled at her grandson. She frowned seeing the car seat in the middle of the backseat. It was where it was supposed to be for safety reasons, but it wouldn’t work now. “Can you quickly get his seat out? Rachel needs to sit back here with Mel.”

“Yeah,” JC quickly threw his seat belt off and climbed out of the vehicle, opening the passenger door behind him. “Grab Noah.” While his mom set about unbuckling his son, he reached down releasing the LATCH strap from between the seats on his side of the car. When Noah was taken from the seat, he reached over and removed the second strap before finally removing the strap that was tethered to the back of the seat. He pulled the seat from the car and sat it on the driveway, away from his car.

“Alright Mel, come on,” Rachel said as Karen and Noah moved away from the vehicle. “You gotta climb up there.”

“I don’t want to ruin your seats.” Melissa balked. 

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Rachel muttered. “Get your ass in the car woman!”

“Alright alright,” Melissa said and climbed into the backseat of JC’s vehicle.

“No stay there,” Rachel said when Melissa started to scoot away from the door. “I’ll go around and sit in on the other side.”

“I need my purse!” Melissa yelled as Rachel closed the door. 

Rachel nodded and turned around to look at Heather. “Chris?”

“We don’t have his number.” Heather said and looked over to her brother. “Call Chris?”

“Yeah, I got it.” JC reached over the driver’s seat for his phone sitting in the center counsel. As he stood, he saw Rachel run back into the house presumably after Melissa’s purse. He pulled up Chris’s number and waited for it to connect.

“Are you done with my wife yet?”

“Chris man, Melissa went in to labor. Rachel and I are taking her to the hospital.”

Chris laughed. “Yeah right man. She’s not due for another three weeks. Nice try.”

“I’m not joking Chris,” JC looked up as Rachel came back outside and ran around him. She never even glanced in his direction. He climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door. With one arm, he put on his seat belt. “Melissa’s water broke. I’m driving her to the hospital right now. You need to meet us there.”

“Let’s go C,” Rachel said, putting Melissa’s purse on the seat behind her as she slid to the middle. 

“Fuck Rach,” Melissa groaned, reaching out to squeeze her hand. 

“I know,” Rachel soothed. “Just try to relax. Keep breathing.” 

“This isn’t funny, JC.” 

“I’m not joking moron.”

“Give me the phone, JC.” Melissa said and accepted the phone from Rachel when she grabbed it from JC. “If you don’t get your ass to the hospital right now, I swear to God Chris I’m gonna rip your arms off and beat you with them.”

“Mel? What’s going on?”

“I’m in labor you fucking idiot!”

“Fuck!” Chris exclaimed and jumped up off the couch. “I gotta go! My wife’s in labor!”

The phone went dead in Melissa’s ear and she rolled her eyes. “Men are fucking idiots. Sorry JC.”

A smile grew on JC’s lips as he navigated the streets toward the hospital, thankful they lived close to one. “Just remember to project all your anger to Chris in the delivery room.”

“He’ll leave with scars.”


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

JC stood up when he saw Rachel enter the waiting room. Chris had run by frantically a few minutes ago. He had been just as frantic when it had been Rachel going into labor. It had been humorous to watch from this side of the fence. “How is she?”

“Gonna have a baby real soon,” Rachel told him. She circled her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. “It’s too late for an epidural so Mel’s gonna get her wish for natural child birth.”

JC grimaced. He’d been happy when Rachel had finally given in and gotten an epidural. He couldn’t take the pains the contractions had caused when she tried to tough it out.

Rachel clasped his hand in hers and brought it to her mouth, pressing a light kiss on the knuckles. 

“What was that far?” JC asked with a small smile.

“An apology for how hard I was squeezing your hand when I was in labor. I think Mel rearranged some of my bones.”

JC laughed and hugged his wife too him, slipping his arms around her. The smile never left his face as Rachel put her head down on his shoulder and relaxed in to him. “How are you doing?”

“Tired,” she said honestly. “I was gonna take a nap after I had gotten everything cleaned up.”

“You know my mom and sister would have done that.” JC told her. He took her hand in his and led her over to the two person chair by the window in the waiting room. Once they were seated, he slung an arm around her shoulders, leaning her against him. “I’m glad this party is over. You were getting too stressed out over it.”

“A few more hours and Mel would have caught on,” Rachel placed a hand over her stomach. “You know how many times I was asked today when we were having another?”

“Just a couple more weeks,” JC assured her. They were already 16 weeks along. The next appointment they would be able to find out the sex. Once that appointment was over, it was off to Florida to spend a couple weeks with their families. They planned to do a big reveal then.

“Hopefully our mothers will be sitting down when we tell them we’re expecting not one, but two.” 

“I’m glad I was sitting down when I got the news,” JC muttered under his breath. When the ultrasound technician told them twins, all he could do was stare in shock at the screen. This time around he knew what to look for unlike with Noah’s. There on the screen were two peanut shaped babies. The shock was sort of gone now, but sometimes he would place his hand over his wife’s stomach in awe that two babies were growing inside.

“Me too,” Rachel giggled. She placed a hand on JC’s leg. “With twins, we’ll get to that baseball team your mother wants quicker.”

“That’s not funny,” JC told her, looking up when he heard commotion. Chris’s sisters and mother burst into the waiting room. He saw Rachel’s hand quickly fall from her stomach. 

“Any news?” Molly asked as they all rushed toward JC and Rachel.

“Chris just got here,” JC told her. 

“We got here not a moment too soon,” Rachel added, looking up at the woman. “She was in labor all day and didn’t say a damn thing. When she has that baby, I’m gonna slap the shit out of her. Any longer and she would have had the baby in my kitchen.”

“Gross,” Taylor said, making a face. “No thanks. When I have a baby it’s gonna be in a nice hospital with lots and lots of drugs. And a cute doctor.”

“Trust me sister,” Kate said with an eye roll. “The last thing you’re gonna be thinking about is how cute the doctor is when you’re trying to push a watermelon out of something whose normal size is that of a grape.”

“Nothing sexy about being sweaty and haggard with your legs up in stirrups, while the doctor gets fresh with your nether regions.” 

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” JC grimaced and tried to stand up, but the grip Rachel had on his leg kept him in his seat. “Oh come on,” he pleaded with his wife. “This is clearly an estrogen party…”

“Does Noah’s pediatrician work here?” Taylor asked, a sparkle in her eyes. “He’ll have to come and see the baby right?”

“What’s up with Noah’s pediatrician?” JC asked, frowning when everyone started laughing. He looked at Rachel seeing a blush sweep across her face. “What’s going on?”

“Rachel thinks he’s hot,” Taylor grinned, dodging Kate’s hand.

“Really?” JC said, staring at his wife who had yet to look at him.

“Did you guys bring Mel’s hospital bag?” Rachel said, changing the subject.

“Right here,” Bev said, holding up the bag. She smiled at the young woman. 

“I think I need to hear more about this?” JC grinned at Rachel. 

“You should probably go to Noah’s appointments from now on,” Molly grinned.

“Yes, I just might have to.” 

Chris’s family took their seats to sit down and wait. Soon after, Kelly arrived with Melissa’s parents and it was chaos again as everyone talked about the information they knew. Rachel crossed her legs and leaned against JC, settling in for an afternoon of waiting. Laying her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes. She felt his hand cover hers on his leg and squeeze. She raised her fingers up so they could entwine with his. “You’re way hotter than Noah’s pediatrician,” she murmured softly. “It’s not even close.”

JC grinned and pressed a kiss to the side of her head, tightening his arm around her shoulders.

*~*

“Did you bring my hospital bag?”

“Mel, I barely remembered to bring me,” Chris said, leaning over the hospital bed. His hand was held tightly in Melissa’s. He ran his free hand over her forehead, moving the hair away from her face. “Don’t worry. I’m sure one of my sisters grabbed it. If not, I’ll send one of them back to the house and gather anything you need.”

“An epidural would be nice,” Melissa grimaced as another contraction spread over her stomach. 

“Breath,” Chris coached. “Don’t hold your breath. Breath through it,” he looked over his shoulder at the machine behind him. He winced seeing the high mountain and knew it had been a painful one. “You’re doing really great Mel. So great,” he turned to look at her again. 

“Sorry,” she let out a breath and released the painful grip she had on his hand.

“It’s alright. I’ll just have to get used to the stranger until trusty Rosie heals.” Chris grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

Melissa snorted. “It’s almost time, better get our closing bets in.”

“Alright, Chris grinned, pulling the chair closer to him so he could sit down. He leaned forward resting his arms on the bed still keeping Melissa’s hand in his. “What do you got?”

“I got a boy.”

“No fair, I was gonna pick boy!”

“So sorry, you gave me first pick.” Melissa grinned.

“Damnit,” Chris swore. “Fine. I’ll go with girl.”

“Like you wouldn’t be overjoyed with a little girl.”

Chris smiled thinking about carrying his daughter all snug in a soft pink blanket. “That’s beside the point. Stop distracting me woman.”

“Sorry,” Melissa’s giggle was cut off when another contraction hit. She clenched Chris’s hand and closed her eyes, trying to breath through the pain. 

“That’s it Mel,” Chris stood and leaned over the bed. He took his free hand and ran his fingers over her forehead again and back through her hair. “That’s it,” he looked at the monitor behind him again. “Almost done. You got this. That’s it… breathe.” When Melissa opened her eyes, they were filled with tears. “I know,” he leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. “I know it hurts, but you’re doing an amazing job. I’m so proud of you,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

Melissa closed her eyes, listening to Chris’s words. She held his hand tightly in hers seeking support. “I love you too.”

“We’re almost there. Soon our baby will be here. This will all be worth it. Just think, you’ll be holding this baby in your arms and you won’t even remember the pain.”

“Oh I will, but he’ll be here,” Melissa smiled.

“She will be here.”

Melissa opened her eyes staring in to Chris’s. “Put your money where your mouth is old man.”

Chris snorted. “This old man still got the job done.” He placed a hand over Melissa’s rounded stomach. “Alright. I have girl. If it’s a girl… you’ll have to…”

“No no, I get to go first.”

Chris gave an exaggerated sigh as he sat back down. “Alright boss lady. Let’s hear it.”

“If it’s a boy, you have to do the grocery shopping for the next six months.”

Chris scrunched his face up. “Good God, why would you wish that upon me? What did I ever do to you?” Melissa pointed at her belly and raised her eyebrow. “Right,” he said. “Your turn. If it’s a girl… let’s see…you have to take the trash out for the next six months.”

“Yuck,” Melissa curled her lip in disgust. She hated taking the trash out. Every time Chris was out of town on trash days, she continuously piled trash in the kitchen until she could no longer put anything else on top without it all falling down. Only then did she take the trash out to the can.

“Deal?” Chris reached his hand out.

“Deal.” Melissa placed her hand in his. As they shook, another contraction ripped through her and she squeezed his hand.

“Oh fuck,” Chris grimaced in pain. “I think you can bend steel with this grip.”

“How about I grab your insides with my bare hands and wring them like a towel and see how you like it.” Melissa snapped as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“How’s it going in here?” The nurse walked in, looking at the monitor seeing Melissa in the middle of a contraction. “Almost done,” she told her patient. “That’s it…” she stated as the contraction ended. “How are you doing?”

“Fucking hurts,” Melissa said, her voice breaking.

“I’m gonna check and see how far along you okay,” the nurse moved to the foot of the bed and positioned Melissa’s feet before moving the blankets up slightly. “Oh,” the nurse blinked.

“What?” Chris asked, standing immediately. He felt Melissa’s hand tightening on his again. This time it isn’t was a contraction. This time she was seeking support.

“You’re ready to have a baby.” The nurse grinned with a smile. She laid Melissa’s legs back down and covered them. “Let me go get the doctor.”

“You ready?” Melissa asked Chris when the nurse left.

“As I’ll ever be.”


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

“One more push Baby…” Chris coached, his hand moving her hair from her face. He was tough to not be able to hold on to Melissa’s hands, but the medical staff frowned on it. The last thing he wanted was to end up in x-rays later on. A cast would be a great hindrance when he wanted to hold his new baby. “It’s almost done. You got this.” 

A scream tore through Melissa’s throat and out her mouth as she bore down and pushed when the doctor told her to. She felt the baby slide free and just like the pressure was gone. She collapse back onto the bed with a partial laugh and cry mixed together. 

Another cry pierced the room and she felt a weight being laid across her chest. She opened her eyes and looked down, seeing her baby. “Oh,” she laughed with tears streaming down her face. She lifted her arms to cradle the baby to her breast and pressed a kiss to its head. “Hi baby, I’m your mommy.” 

Chris took a few pictures with his phone before sitting it down on the table. He leaned over pressing a kissing to Melissa’s head and placed a hand on the baby’s back. “I’m your daddy and you just sentenced me six months of grocery shopping.” 

Melissa laughed and kissed the top of the baby’s head again. 

“Alright Dad,” the doctor said, interrupting their tender moment. “You ready to cut the umbilical cord?”

Chris cut the umbilical cord, breaking the connection between mother and child. If anyone saw his hand shaking, no one said a word. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and watched as a nurse lifted his son from Melissa and took him over to the incubator and laid him down. He bounced on his feet looking down at Melissa.

“Go,” she told him with a smile.

Chris grinned and kissed her forehead. He grabbed his phone before walking over to his son. He took pictures while the nurse performed a series of test. 

“Six pounds 10 ounces,” the nurse stated with a smile.

He took a picture of the display. Before the nurse wrapped him in a blanket and placed him in his arms, he had probably taken hundreds of photos. He cradled his son in his arms, fixing the hat on his head when it shifted. “What a day huh?” He whispered to the baby. “I know you won’t remember it, but I’ll never forget it.” He pressed a kiss to his son’s head and walked back over to his wife.

Melissa held her arms out expectantly. She snuggled her son to her chest when Chris placed him in her arms. “You are darling,” she whispered, staring at her son. “He looks like you.” 

“The pain must have messed with mommy’s head,” Chris said, wrapping one arm behind Melissa and the other cradled over his wife’s around the baby. 

“Oh stop,” Melissa chided. “He’s simply beautiful.” 

“He is.” Chris was unable to take his eyes from the baby. He was finally here. Months and months of waiting and preparing, his son was finally here. “I love you so much.”

Melissa tilted her head up and smiled at Chris, her eyes wet with tears. “I love you.” She stared down at her son, snuggled in the hospital blanket against her chest. His eyes were closed in sleep. “You should go tell the others.”

“I don’t want to leave.” Chris said honestly. “I’ll just send them a picture.”

“Don’t you dare,” Melissa admonished. “Go out there and announce to everyone the birth of your son.”

“I wish I could take him with me.” He stared longingly at the tiny baby. 

“He’ll be in the nursery in twenty minutes,” the nurse told them. “The doctor will be there to check him over. Once you’re up and able to go to the bathroom, we’ll get you both moved over to the mother and baby ward.”

“Can I go to the nursery with him?”

“Sure.” The nurse smiled. “Go and spread the good news and when you get back you can walk with us.”

“I’ll be back.” Chris kissed Melissa and pressed another soft kiss to his son’s head. 

Chris walked from the delivery room and down the hallway; his step was light. In fact it didn’t feel like his feet had touched the ground at all. The smile never fell from his face. He was a father! He crossed the threshold in the waiting room to see if overrun with friends and family. He threw his arms up in the air in victory. “Woo!”

“Hey!” Everyone jumped to their feet with smiles on their faces. 

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

“How much was the weight?”

“How’s Melissa?”

Chris was bombarded with questions. He took his phone out of his back pocket and searched the photos for the best one to show. “Everyone welcome Cameron Allen Kirkpatrick.”

“Grandma’s get first look,” Beverly said as she took her son’s phone. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at her newest grandchild.

“Oh he’s so darling,” Molly and Kate aww’d over the photo. 

“I need to get my hands on him,” Emily declared when she got to look at the photo.

“He’ll be in the nursery in a few minutes,” Chris explained. 

“How’s Mel? When can we see her?” Rachel asked as she handed the phone back to Chris. Her fingers itched to hold the baby in her arms.

“Mel’s good. She’s real good. God what a trooper.” Chris said with a grin. “She was amazing. When they get her moved off the delivery ward, you’ll be able to see her.”

“Here’s her hospital bag.” Taylor handed Chris the bag. 

“How are you doing man?” JC asked, clapping a hand on Chris’s shoulder.

“Feet haven’t touched the ground yet.”

JC grinned. “What a feeling huh?”

“I thought nothing could eclipse the sold out stadium tours you know?” JC nodded because he did know. “But this man… this is something else.”

“Amazing ain’t it?” JC grinned. Two years ago he had been in the same boat. He didn’t think anything could top the feeling of what he had accomplished with NSYNC. Then he held Noah for the first time.

“Already planning the next one.”

“Don’t let Melissa hear you say that,” Rachel warned.

“Yeah, you might find yourself with an important appendage needed to have the next one,” Kate smirked.

“Wait until they give her some pain killers at least,” Molly said.

“I gotta get back…” Chris was antsy to be back in the room with his wife and child. He ihated leaving his friends and family though.

“Go,” his mother said, drawing him into a hug. “Your place is with Melissa and Cameron.”

Chris nodded. “I’ll let you guys know when to go to the nursery window.” With a final grin and fist pump, he turned from the room and hurried back to his family.

Father.

He was a father. There was a human being out there who was a part of him. A human being who he was responsible for.

A son.

He couldn’t wait to start teaching Cameron how to fish. He couldn’t wait to teach him how to play basketball. He couldn’t wait for the Steelers games and Penn State games. He couldn’t wait to introduce him to music and Star Wars. To take him to Disney Land and Disney World and everywhere in between. He couldn’t wait for Christmases and birthdays. Trips to visit his cousins.

He wondered if it was too early to buy a basketball.

Chris pushed opened the door. The smile appeared on his face as he saw his wife sitting up in bed, Cameron nestled against chest as he suckled her breast.

“Those are mine kid,” Chris grinned. He met Melissa’s smile with his lips as he kissed her softly.

“Didn’t your mom teach you how to share?”

“Yeah, my Army men and my crayons. She never told me I’d have to share my wife’s boobs with someone else.”

Melissa snorted. “Well you’re gonna have to learn. They sort of belong to him now.”

“Only at meal time. The rest of the time they are mine.” He settled into the chair next to the bed and watched Melissa switch sides and continue feeding Cameron. “I love you.” The smile Melissa sent him filled every dark crevice that had remained in his heart. All the dreams he had dreamed were finally coming true.


End file.
